Originally Posted by
AutoSlash
This is a question that comes up again and again, and our answer is that prepaying for your rental does not make it more likely that you will get a car vs. paying at the counter.
It's a common misconception that a prepaid reservation is somehow "guaranteed" while a pay-at-counter reservation is not. In fact, they are both guaranteed, but that doesn't mean that rental companies don't sometimes plan poorly or run into unforeseen circumstances and can run out of cars. Just because you have prepaid for your reservation doesn't mean that the rental company will "set one aside" for you. You are going to essentially be in the same boat as everyone else who has a reservation (whether prepaid or not), and we say this with almost 15 years of experience in the industry.
Well, no less a person than Beth Gibson, vice president for customer experience at Avis, disagrees with you - this doesn't mean that you are wrong and she is right. Wouldn't be the first time someone in charge of customer experience didn't have a clue about real-life customer experience.
Help! I Reserved a Rental Car, but There Was No Car for Me. - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
An Avis representative had a different take, telling me the best way to ensure you get a car is to register for Avis Preferred, a loyalty program. She told me it was easy and free, and she was right. (I’m their latest member.) Ms. Gibson agreed, and added that prepaying would also make you a higher priority. Another pro tip: She recommended taking the extra minute or two to provide your flight information when you book a car, which allows the agency to automatically adjust your arrival time if your plane is late.